Alive in the Dead Sea

With a name like the “Dead Sea,” you would think that nothing could live there. But scientists have discovered something interesting living at the bottom of the Dead Sea—bacteria!

This is a surprise because the Dead Sea is extremely salty—even more salty than the ocean. “The lake’s saltiness means that larger organisms such as fish and frogs can’t survive in the Dead Sea. But a high concentration of magnesium also makes it surprising to find microbes in the lake.”¹

During a diving expedition to the Dead Sea, scientists discovered bacteria that can actually survive and thrive in these conditions! The scientists were surprised to find fresh water pouring out of larger craters on the floor of the sea. This fresh water creates an environment where tiny bacteria can survive. Even when water currents change the conditions around the craters, these bacteria have an amazing ability to adjust to their environment.

How do these bacteria survive? Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell states, “God has equipped microorganisms with amazing adaptive abilities so that they can survive in changing conditions and continue to fulfill their niches in God’s Creation. . . He even created a form of life that can survive in the depths of the inhospitable Dead Sea.”²

Would you like to learn more about the amazing design features that God created in the world around us? Please see the following:

• Bacteria: More Good Than Bad and Ugly
• Creature Teachers
• Design Features Q & A
• Have Animals, Will Evangelize

¹ Christine Dell'Amore, “New Life-Forms Found at Bottom of Dead Sea”, National Geographic Daily News, September 28, 2011, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/09/110928-new-life-dead-sea-bacteria-underwater-craters-science/.
² News to Note, October 8th, 2011, Answers in Genesis, http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2011/10/08/news-to-note-10082011.